I hope Rudy proves to be a comeback kid in these godawful primaries, because I'd gladly suffer his incessant sputtering of "9/11" over Mike Huckabee's endless recitation of folksy epigrams. Give me a corrupt, big-city mayor defending his mistress-related malfeasances any day, over some rural Mr. Rogers' philosophizing through the audacity of corn.
Yes, Mike, we know "it’s not the size of the dog in the fight, it’s the size of the fight in the dog," but that poor dog must be exhausted already. I certainly am.
Strangely enough, I find my sentiments are in the company of such ultraconservative journals as the National Review and Weekly Standard. It seems the hidebounders are in a panic -- indeed, one now commonly known in right-wing blogging circles as the "Huckabee Panic" -- because the Arkansas governor is quite unexpectedly threatening to hijack a few early primaries, thereby giving him the requisite boost to make it to the finish line.
My God, what a harrowing thought. How many times could Mike regurgitate his canine homily in 11 full months?
The NYT's political blog, The Caucus, summarizes the conservative journals' "startled" opposition to Mr. Huckabee in this way: They "seem to see in the former Arkansas governor an unknown quantity with suspiciously compassionate tendencies and little foreign policy experience."
That's their story, anyway, and they're sticking to it. They are mightily down on Huckabee as a "tax-raising, regulation-imposing, anti-business populist governor" with virtually no schooling in international relations; hence Rich Lowry of the National Review, for instance, has declared that Huckabee's selection as the party's nominee would "represent an act of suicide."
And Stephen Hayes of the Weekly Standard "said Mr. Huckabee’s understanding of foreign policy was rudimentary at best, and often 'sounded more like Dennis Kucinich than Dick Cheney'" (which seems more promotional than denunciatory, but that's another column).
At any rate, that's the buzz among many hair-on-fire, ultraconservative scribes. But on the face of it, the buzz seems labored, contrived and insincere. The other front-runners, Rudy and Mitt, have their own conservatively detested records of raising taxes, for instance, but Messrs. Rich and Hayes are hardly apoplectic about those boys.
Furthermore, Huckabee's touted domestic priorities include a "Fair Tax plan" that "would abolish the I.R.S and replace personal and corporate income taxes with a national sales tax" -- a regressive nonstarter that makes every hardcore conservative's heart flutter. He also "favors giving people the option to take their Social Security as a lump sum payment on retiring" -- a right-wing blast at the nation's most successful social program ever -- and "he opposes any kind of guaranteed health coverage," of course. Barry Goldwater would love him, just as Rich and Lowry love Goldwater.
As for Mr. Huckabee's foreign policy experience? Well, you tell me how a Massachusetts governor or New York City mayor racked up an estimable record along those lines, or how Huckabee's campaign mantra that "Islamo-facism is the greatest threat" facing America differs one iota from the ludicrously shallow analyses offered by Rudy and Mitt.
Nope, there's not a lick of substantive difference between Mike, Mitt and Rudy when you get right(ward) down to it. And that's what leads me to suspect that some conservative journals and right-wing bloggers are coalescing in opposition to Mr. Huckabee out of plain, naked, anti-Christian-fundamentalist bias.
I write that not in defense of Christian fundamentalists in politics. God knows -- I guess? -- that I have the same, deep-seated antipathy toward people who don't know Galileo from Darwin but nevertheless want to impose their primitive demonologies on others who've read more than one book.
No, I write that because I strongly suspect that conservative writers such as Rich and Lowry indeed share my bias -- and fears -- although they've been more than willing to exploit this crowd for what's going on several decades now. They want those fundamentalist voters, but also want to keep them in the closet, as an embarrassment, and they especially shrink from any of their embarrassing ballyhooers on the stump.
In short, the Rich and Lowry types are merely part of the somewhat more sophisticated brie-eating, latte-sipping, Volvo-driving and traditional Republican elite. They're finally getting -- maybe -- what's coming to them, and they don't like it. I don't blame them for that. I just wish they would be honest about it -- that they would openly condemn the regular hijacking of D. Eisenhower's party by delusional holy-rollers, rather than disingenuously assaulting their candidates on some economic waywardness or foreign policy inexperience -- and then be done with it.
Maybe then both sides could get off this religious kick and stop counting the number of angelic Huckakees on pinheads and get back to honestly debating the real ideological differences between real conservatives and liberals.
Huckabee is gaining because the Deep South believes it is entitled to rule and force their religion down the rest of our throats (they're called "Dominionists" people.
After eight years, do any of us think we need another stupid peckerwood in office?
Posted by: sloan | December 19, 2007 at 09:26 AM
I'm tickled at Huckabee's rise. He seems to me a Gerald Ford-like stooge who has less of a chance of winning than raving fear-mongers like Ghouliani or Romnut. I think the ultra-conservatives are most concerned that he's not of their class.
Posted by: Dana Hatch | December 19, 2007 at 09:28 AM
"They have sown the wind, and they shall reap the whirlwind." What the heck did the "traditional" Volvo Republicans and the Neocons expect? They've been pandering to and using the fundamentalists/evangelicals for years, and now they're whining because one of "those" is doing so well? What a bunch of hypocritical idiots.
Posted by: Zorba the Greek | December 19, 2007 at 09:43 AM
i share fears of huck's religous convictions, but it must be noted, when put to it, he may be less objectionable than his other party gouls. if you've followed him, the guy is no panderer. in the last repub debate when they were asked the bible literacy question, one which you'd think he'd be the most vulnerable on, he actually had the most reasonable answer, compared to mitt who didn't seemed to know where to go and who was clearly unwilling to say what he really thought. people like tom delay, frist, romney, etc.. are cynical hypocrites. they are our biggest problem.
that being said, i do worry about his choice of judges, lack of understanding of people who are not fundies, and general christiness...
Posted by: tmenzel | December 19, 2007 at 11:25 AM
This is the Fundamentalist Right Wing's "Huck-a-loo". May they enjoy their forced holiday on the Island of St. Helena....
Posted by: Will | December 19, 2007 at 12:45 PM
a sad commentary that all this fuss is about a person's belief in a mythology. Amerikans better wake up soon or you will elect another Christofascist.
May your God bless you
Posted by: chris Kanada | December 19, 2007 at 01:16 PM
Ron Paul believes in the Christian "Just War" doctrine. Huckabee and his supporters consider Ron Paul a threat precisely because Ron Paul is a Christian and disagrees with their war policy based on his Christian beliefs.
Huckabee would support Giuliani or Hillary over Ron Paul because those candidates could never seriously claim to base their policies on Christianity. Thus, Hillary and Giuliani, evil as they may be, represent no reproach to fundamentalists.
Posted by: Richard | December 19, 2007 at 01:26 PM
I object to the claim that the opposition to Huckabee is coming from "Those Brie-eating, Latte-sipping, Volvo-driving Republicans."
The opposition is in fact coming from the Neocon branch of the Republican Party, the same people got up into the Iraq war. These people aren't in any sense of the world traditional Republicans. They are instead a group whose ultimate loyaty is towards Israel. Apparently whatever Huckabee is saying threatens this loyalty.
Posted by: John Dudley | December 19, 2007 at 02:25 PM
I hope he does get the nod, and they will push him into picking a moderate VP when push comes to shove. And it will show.. and they will lose.
Posted by: spmosher | December 19, 2007 at 02:32 PM
I hope he does get the nod, and they will push him into picking a moderate VP when push comes to shove. And it will show.. and they will lose.
Posted by: steven mosher | December 19, 2007 at 02:34 PM
Is the canine in Huck's homily the same one his porcine prodigy tortured and killed (allegedly)?
Posted by: t-bone | December 19, 2007 at 02:35 PM
I am so enjoying the uppercrusters that have used their brain-damaged fundamentalist fellow repubs to score votes and promote their neo-con fantasies. That they now are all agog with Huckster's surge, that perhaps he'll be the one to be their new face for change, makes them squirm and me smile. I hope he's crowned. We need this discussion so our fellow uninvolved but evolved citizens finally wake up to the insincerity, hypocrisy and delusional fanaticism that has been the prime motivating force for repubs since Nixon saw their usefulness and St. Reagan exploited their religious naivety and racial bigotry. May they go down in flames!
Posted by: chanceny | December 19, 2007 at 04:55 PM
The Republicans have no one but themselves to blame in this fiasco. Some of their "big box" financial supporters were directed to throw money to the cash strapped and brain dead Huckabee campaign in an attempt to pull the "Christian" vote away from Ron Paul, removing any threat to their chosen candidate(s) or so they thought.
The Lame Stream Media was given the go-ahead to provide the name recognition to resuscitate Huck's dead-in-the-water campaign.
It is edifying in the extreme that their ploy has come back to bite them on the a$$.
If Huckabee winds up with the GOP nomination, better start getting used to the term "Madam President.'
Posted by: Barbara | December 19, 2007 at 05:16 PM
Why do the Republicans fear him? Two words: Covenant Marriage.
Posted by: jennine | December 19, 2007 at 09:02 PM
Thats why we have Ron Paul you know what you get with him. GO RON PAUL
Posted by: ken arcieri | December 20, 2007 at 09:10 AM
The Lame Scream Media! An appellation no doubt earned during the coverage of Howard Dean's primary travails.
Posted by: Mooser | December 20, 2007 at 02:21 PM
THOSE BRIE-EATING, LATTE-SIPPING, VOLVO-DRIVING REPUBLICANS ARE MOST UNHAPPY ABOUT HUCKABEE, GOD LOVE 'EM
I cannot believe this headling.. I almost thought it was about elitist democrats from the 80's an 90's.. Do you remember we were the cultural elite, driving our volvos and sipping our lattes, thinking we know how to run better lives than those who were not like us liberals? And now the Republicans are the latte sipping, volvo driving sect?
How's that for irony? They, are now us.. in image only.
Posted by: Steven Mosher | December 20, 2007 at 02:36 PM
Ahem, Mr. Huckabee (with all due respect) exemlifies the comment of one of the founding fathers when it was stated: "When facism arrives in this country, it will be wrapped in a flag, and carrying a cross". Do people understand what a "fair tax" is? Huckabee is going to DEVASTATE AMERICA if he gets in office - he's an obvious puppet for the CFR. Fair Tax? Yeah, right how many people know that MORTGAGE translates as follows: MORT = DEATH GAGE= GRIP. WAKE UP PEOPLE!!!!!!!!!!
Posted by: PatriceG | January 21, 2008 at 09:07 PM